Iron County register., 1887-05-19


Shortly after midday the order 'sMarch''
was given, and the gorgeously uniformed
soldiery started for the Capitol in the fol-
lowing order:
Grand Marshal and Aides.
FIRST DIVISION.
Battalion Third Artillery.
Garfield Guard of Honor.
Society of the Army OF the Cumberland
Battalion of Marines.
Detachment of Sailors from the Unite States
Steamer Galena.
SECOND DIVISION.
District Militia.
Grand Army of the Republic.
Civic Societies.
The march down Pennsylvania avenue
was gre atty interfered with, proper pre-
cautions for clearing the route of vehicles
not having been taken. The result of this
neglect was that many halts had to be
made, which detracted greatly from what
would otherwise have been very impos-
ing procession.
Long before noon the streets leading to
the junction of First street and Mary
land avenue were packed with people. A
solid phalanx twenty deep was ranged on
the sidewalks that encircled the space,
in the center of which the vailed statue
rested on it's granite base.
AG IWSlto tuc W tuo
grand stand were thrown open, and the
invited guests were quickly assigned to
seats. Among the first to arrive were the
sons of General Garfield, Hon. W. w.
Corcoran and Judge Hagner. Sc cretary
Bayard and Attorney General Garland
were the first members of the Cabinet to
arrive. They were followed by Chief
Justice Waite and the associate justices
of the Supreme Court.
At one o'clock the President, accom-
panied by General Sheridan, arrived.
simultaneously the vanguard OF the pro-
cession appeared in quick march from
Pennsylvania avenue.
Coloael Wilson then announced that the
proceedings would be opened with prayer
by Rev. S. H. Giesy, D. d.
After Mr.. Giesy had concluded his
prayer, the ''Star Spangled Banner was
very effectively rendered by the full Ma
rlne Band.
AS the last note died away, at twenty
minutes past one O'Clock, the American
flag which had covered the statue was
quickly drawn away. The salute from
the south front of the Capitol was then
fired, alter which General Sheridan intro
duced the orator of the day, Hon. j.
Warren Kiefer, who proceeded to deliver
his oration, long and laborate eulo-
gism.
The statue unveiled to-day, the orator
declared, was not alone in honor of cit
izen, distinguished for good qualities of
head and heart: not alone to scholar
eminent for his attalnments; not alone TO
a soldier renowned for bravery and sue
cesstul high command; not alone to a
statesman and politician as wise and as
prudent as he was outspoken and bold;
not alone to the Chief Magistrate who
welded the scepter of power in the inter-
est of the citizen; but to one who com bined
within himself all these various charac-
ters and illustrated all these qualities in
a single life.
This statue was mainly a tribute from
General Garfeld's immediate companions
of the army of the Cum berIand, prompt ed
by love, born of camp, bivouac and battle
yet in larger sense it was the Nations S
tribute to the memory of a citizen, edu-
Gator, soldier. statesman and ruler.
After brief description of the monu-
ment, General Keifer sketchcd Garfeld's
career as scholar, teacher, soldier, states
man and President from his boyhood tc
the day of his death at Elberon, and then,
in closing, said:
My comrades. he now musters with that larger
part OF the army of the Cumberland who, hav
ing paid the price of devotion to the cause and
country, and fulfilled life's earthly mission,
have passed on to join in the Grand Army Of
the Republic beyond the grave We are all
.oon to be there and muster again as one re-
united host. Comrades, this splendid
statue is worthy OF you who conceived
it; it is worthy of the great sculptor who Great
ed it; and it is also worthy of him whose life
character is 50 imperfectly described by me
and SO grandly symbolized by the artist. En-
during as this bronze statue may be, the ruth
less vandal or iconoclast may demolish it,
Time, the destroyer of all things not fashioned
by omnipitence, will crumble it to dust. What
the artist has done and what we may do or
say here to preserve and perpetuate his name
and fame may pass away and be forgotten; but
the sun of his glory has risen, full orbed, high
in the armament of eternal truth and justice,
there to shine on and on through the ages.
Socrates was condemned to drink the fatal
cup of hemlock, and thus give up his mortal
body, but his philosophy the poison could not
kill. It was immortal So Garfield was
doomed to fall by a fatal bullet, and thus sur
render his mortal body; but his words and
deeds did not die. They belong to eternity.
They were immortal.
Our hero cared little for past example COM
pared with present duty. He believed in
morning star of progress reigning perpetually
in the armament of our Republic to set only
when the eternal morning pales in its glories
all the lights of time; SO may we guided and
controlled by this bright star of progress, con-
tinue with the best light within to perform
toward our fellow man and our country the full
mission of the purest life, remembering that
New accessions teach new duties:
Time makes ancient good uncouth.
They must upward still, and onward,
Who would keep abreast OF truth.
Lo, before US gleam her camp-fres.
We ourselves must pilgrims be;
Launch our Mayfiower and steer boldly
Through the desperate winter sea,
Nor tempt the futures portals
With the Past's blood-rusted key.
-The tenn b,PpZa of the n10rninp
died completely away before the cere-
monies were well begun, and the heat be-
came intense. The dstln guished crowd
that surrounded the slightly raised plat
form used by the speakers simply swell
tered. Streaming faces and rapidly NOV
ing fans were the Accomplishments OF Gen
eral Keifer's address.
Mrs. Cleveland reached the grand stand
just before the unvailIng. Mrs. Folsom,
Mrs Lamont and Mrs. Villas were with
her, and all suffered acutely from tue
heat
Instead of the usual upturned sea OF
faces, there was an upturned monotony
of widespread umbrellas.
At the conclusion of the oration, Gen
eral Keifer, or behalf of the monument
committee, formally transferred the
statue to General Sheridan, representing
the army of the Cumberland, who in turn
transferred it to President Cleveland.
The President in accepting the statue on
behalf of the United States, said.
FELLOW CITIZENS: In performance of the
duty assigned to me on this occasion, hereby
accept, on behalf of the people of the United
States this completed and beautiful statue.
Amid the interchange Of fraternal greetings
between the survivors OF the army of the Cum.